Fresholi | Melting Pot Café

Has anyone here made incense from scratch before?  I have a bunch of herbs and I got a small leaflet style booklet from RMH so I can try this.  In the kit from Rose Mtn they included a bunch of amazing ingredients but the book calls for Salt Peter and/or Charcoal.  I can get Salt Peter from the drug store (I think) but I was thinking that for the charcoal I could buy the pure charcoal used for BBQ's, the ones without starters etc in it, the plain old fashioned charcoal.  What do you think?  I want to make loose incense as well as the cones.
 
So what do you think?  I would rather not use the salt peter simply because I've been told it smells bad when it lights so I'm hoping that just using crushed charcoal would work to keep the incense lit.

TIA

 :mwaha: buy them ready made and dip need help then pm me

ohh liny sorry can't help you there, but great idea...

Not made them Lindy, have a good supplier of ready mades. But if you do a search on the dish in candle section, there is quite a bit of info. Look for some of Celene's posts, it can be quite problematic.

Eire

There is info in resources too about scenting ready made.

Thanks everyone.  I've seen the kits for scenting ready made but me being me (never could do it the easy way  :mwaha: )  I bought this set-up from MRH because I really think it would be cool to make it from scratch, I even bought some Sweet Grass to grin down into a powder for incense as well.....

Eire, thanks I'll head over and see what I find there - didn't even think of it.  Goes to show how often I'm on there  :mwaha:

Oooh, how exciting, that's what I'm working on! What did you get in the kit? I've not really looked at that store properly so didn't come across a kit.

I wouldn't use saltpeter though, it's not a nice thing to be breathing in. I use nice little bamboo charcoal from hookah pipe supply stores, you feel a little wacky looking around at the pipes and everything though! Although I don't put ground up charcoal into the mix, just put the incense on top to smoulder, and light the block. I have a vague recollection of grinding up some charcoal but I cant remember if I added it, I think not, it feels a bit 'off' to me maybe. If you can get makko that would be great to try (are you in USA/canada or did I imagine that?!) as that burns to keep it going but I can't find it here.

I'm working on an experiment with wood for doing smoking, you get it in powders that you can smoulder. But so far I've not made a cone/pastille that will burn on it's own (although saying that Iv'e never bought one that will stay lit on it's own  ::) ) Sweet grass is something else not so common here but you've made me want to go shopping.....

It's a lovely thing to be making, quite elemental if you get what I mean  :buttrf:

It really is elemental...  ;D

The kit included:

• Lemongrass Powder
• Frankincense
• Makko
• )Patchouli
• Star Anise
• Cinnamon
• Myrhh
• Sandalwood
• Benzoin Gum
• Mortar & Pestle
• Making You Own Incense by Tina Sams & Maryanne Schwartz
• Sheet with 4 recipes by MRH

I also bought Dragon's Blood Resin & the Sweetgrass.

So lots of good stuff to make this with, but I'm reading that you need either the charcoal or the salt peter to keep it lit.  Then I was also reading about Taraganth (sp) Gum but I think I'm going to start out without it....

Hi, it all sounds wonderful, please purchase charcoal block specifically for the job. There have been a number of people dying through breathing in carbon monoxide when camping, they have put the warm charcoal in their tent or the fumes have even wafted under the tent from a fire close by to keep warm only never to wake up, it happened to a  local man from our Town and recently in Wales, I know there was rather a lot of coal used here, but it's scarey. Maybe i am being over cautious here, but wouldn't want anything happening to anyone.

Shell

Shell thank you so very much for the warning.  It is a good one.... (:hug:)

The kit you have looks nice, and it's got makko!

I think it'll be getting the balance between woody powders, like makko, and the resins right so it can smoulder and 'carry' the other ingredients. As the makko will burn on it's own but the rest will go out.

The resins you can dissolve may help in forming the shape of a cone etc but for experiments you could do it like the japanese way see here http://www.essenceoftheages.com/acces/makko.html

of just try a neat heap!

oooh, I meant to ask, is the book that comes in the kit good?

Thanks Lindsay - the book is quite interesting and fairly good.  It's really rather small and it was led to be looking for charcoal and possibly salt peter.  However the site you just listed (thank you) helped me understand the Mako powder better. :buttrf: :buttrf: